Tag Archives: Rockefeller

The ultimate symbol of the American Dream, Lady Liberty, standing majestically over New YorkHarbour, is probably the most famous landmark in America. The people of France donated the statue to the United States in 1886, to commemorate the alliance of the two countries during the American Revolution. It was the first sight of the New World to be seen by the 12 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island, the country’s principal immigration centre in the early and mid 20th century. Visitors can climb the statue or take the lift.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE** The Statue of Liberty is scheduled to re-open sometime in Summer of 2004, however an exact date has not been decided.

The relatives of over 40% of families living in the United States of America passed through this historical immigration station, which operated from 1892 to 1954. Now a national monument and museum, the Ellis IslandImmigrationMuseum has over 30 galleries related to the American immigrant experience. Tours are also on offer, during which visitors will learn how ‘undesirables’ were weeded out and separated from their families in the Registry Room, after month-long ordeals on often over-crowded boats. For a US$5 fee, visitors can search the Ellis Island archives by computer in the popular AmericanFamilyImmigrationCenter for information on their ancestors.

Transport: Circle Line Statue of Liberty Ferry (tel: (212) 269 5755) from South Ferry at Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis islands (costing US$10 for a round trip).

Opening hours: Daily 0930–1700.
Admission: Free.

World Trade Center – Ground Zero

WorldTradeCenter – Ground Zero

In early 2003, the city selected Memory Foundations as an architectural design, by Studio Daniel Libeskind, to replace the 110-storey towers and surrounding buildings at the site of the former WorldTradeCenter. The new structure will integrate portions of a remaining slurry wall (strong enough to hold back the Hudson River). A slightly recessed public space, known as the bathtub, will provide the setting for a memorial and a museum. North of this area, a 541-metre (1776ft) spire, the ‘Gardens of the World’, will grace the skyline. Although the complex’s very existence will memorialise the tragedy that occurred here in 2001, each year on 11 September, the sun will shine without a shadow on the Wedge of Light piazza. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation – LMDC (see below) can provide more information on the decision and design.

The viewing platforms that once allowed visitors to pay tribute at the former WorldTradeCenter site, dubbed Ground Zero, are no longer in place. A simple viewing area at Liberty Street and Broadway allows for observation of ongoing work.

Dubbed the eighth wonder of the world, when it was completed after 30-years of construction in 1883, John Augustus Roebling’s design remains a masterful feat of engineering. One of the world’s first steel wire suspension bridges – and at one time one of the world’s longest – links Manhattan to Brooklyn, over the East River. The bridge’s mile-long wooden promenade is open to pedestrians and cyclists and offers stunning views of the city.

Immortalised by Hollywood cinema – from King Kong and Fay Wray to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan – this stunning skyscraper is now once again the city’s tallest building. Completed in 1931, the 102-storey EmpireStateBuilding is a wonderful example of Art Deco period architecture and the observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors offer magical and spectacular views of the city; the 86th floor deck is open air. Each night, the top 31 storeys are illuminated with a color that reflects the season or holiday. Buy tickets in advance from there web site.

Built in 1932–40, the RockefellerCenter is a masterpiece of urban design. The best approach is from the ChannelGardens, opposite Saks on Fifth Avenue – a popular lunchtime haunt flanked with shops and services – to arrive at the focal point of the complex, the sunken plaza, used as an ice-skating rink in winter and an open-air restaurant in summer. Behind this, the sumptuous GE building dominates the scene with its Art Deco ambience both inside and out. The RockefellerCenter is home to NBC, RadioCityMusic Hall and Christie’s Auction House. NBC tours, lasting one and a half hours, are available and points of interest include the Today Show studio, the skating rink, the Prometheus and Atlas statues and the ChannelGardens.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 11 West 53rd Street, between Fifth Streetand Sixth Street, houses the most important modern art collection in the USA, covering a variety of media from the late 19th and 20th centuries, with impressive touring exhibitions. The museum is currently undergoing a massive regeneration project that will add much needed extra exhibition space by 2005. Its interim outpost, MoMA QNS, in Long IslandCity, Queens – an industrial district just over the East River – displays permanent collection pieces as well as visiting exhibitions, such as the Matisse Picasso show in a refurbished warehouse space. The subway trip is 10–15 minutes from Midtown.

The Guggenheim Museum – a seven-storey conical building designed by US master architect Frank Lloyd Wright – is worth visiting if only for the building alone. Inside, it features an acclaimed collection of late 19th- and 20th-century art works, as well as touring exhibitions.

Home to more than two million works of art spanning five millennia, ‘the Met’ is a cherished New York institution. It is the largest art museum in the western hemisphere and its collections are outstanding.

New York’s famous green lung, Central Park, is a magnificent city sanctuary situated in the centre of Manhattan. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it opened in 1876 and now offers numerous recreational and cultural outlets. The BelvedereCastle – a stone castle built on Vista Rock in the middle of the park at the 79th Street Transverse – offers excellent views from its lookout, while the ShakespeareGarden, just west of the castle, contains flowers and herbs mentioned in the Bard’s plays. The Central Park Conservancy offers various free walking tours of the park. There is also a theatre and sports facilities, including tennis courts, ice rinks and lakes, in addition to the celebrated Central ParkWildlifeCenter. Considered to be one of the world’s most appealing small zoos, it has exhibits for each of the world’s major environments and houses smaller animals, such as monkeys and penguins. The Tisch Children’s Zoo, across East 65th Street, is a hands-on animal garden where petting domestic animals, such as goats and pigs, is permitted. The beautifully landscaped CentralGarden and Sea Lion Pool is flanked on three sides by a glass-roofed colonnade, making it accessible even in wet weather. It is considered unwise to visit Central Park after dark, except for events such as ice skating, carriage rides or Summerstage (see Special Events)..Buy some nuts and feed the squarrils.

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